bacteria

The Qinghai-Tibet plateau is one of China’s highest risk areas for human plague, caused by the infectious bacterium Yersinia pestis. The main carrier of the disease is the Himalayan marmot, a rodent about the size of a large domestic cat.…

The evolutionary history and origin of syphilis, and other diseases caused by the spiral-shaped bacteria treponema, is a hotly debated topic by scholars. Scholars who theorize syphilis originated in the “New World” and preceded the 15th century have been in…

Trachomatous trichiasis, caused by the chlamydia bacteria, is one of the leading causes of preventable blindness worldwide. This disease is common in areas of the world that lack access to health care and clean water. While a simple and free…

Acinetobacter baumannii is an opportunistic bacterium that takes advantage of patients’ weakened immune systems to cause pneumonia, wound infection and sepsis. A common cause of infection in veterans and other hospital patients (hence its nickname of “Iraqibacter”), multi-drug resistant strains…

For years, doctors have observed that some patients with leprosy develop unusual blood clots that can lead to stroke or heart attack. In a new article published with PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases, Flavio Alves Lara of the Oswaldo Cruz Institute…

Antibiotic resistance poses a great challenge in treatment of serious bacterial infections, but development of therapies that could replace antibiotics in such severe cases has had limited success. In a new PLOS Biology study, Kristofer Wollein Waldetoft and Sam Brown…

Honeybees, principal pollinators in agriculture and natural environments, have suffered from colony declines in recent years. The bees’ pollen-rich diet and the bacteria living in their gut are known contributors to their health, and understanding the functions of bees’ various…

Dogs, wild animals and sand flies in protected area in Brazil carry Leishmania parasite Infected sand flies can transmit the Leishmania parasite through their bites, potentially leading to leishmaniasis, a parasitic infection that can be fatal to humans. This infection…

Drinking iced tea may boost cholera risk A new study finds that that drinking iced tea, not always boiling drinking water, and other factors were all associated with an increased risk of cholera in countries where the disease is regularly…

Humans, chickens and turkeys are main blood-meal sources for South American mosquitoes Researchers have used traps and DNA analysis of the main mosquito vector of malaria in Central and South America, Anopheles darlingi, to determine its blood-meal sources. They found…